Commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 13/354,100 filed Jan. 19, 2012 by the same inventors, the disclosure which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a system and method of diagnosing acid reflux using an involuntary reflex cough test. In one example as disclosed, a nasogastric/orogastric (Ng/Og) device is inserted though the mouth or nose and through the esophagus and into the stomach and the involuntary reflex cough epoch induced. The intra-abdominal pressure and elevational reflux along the Ng/Og device is measured. In an example, the functional status of the gastric valve is determined based on the measured intra-abdominal pressure and elevational reflux along the catheter. This procedure is sometimes a limited analysis that is not always accurate to determine whether there is a reflux problem, and thus, requiring an Ng/Og device, which in some cases can interfere with the gastric valve and the lower esophageal sphincter. In another example, an Ng/Og device with an esophageal cuff is used. A sequence of steps occur, e.g., inflating the esophageal cuff, inducing the involuntary reflex cough epoch, determining if acid reflux has occurred, deflating the esophageal cuff, and again inducing the involuntary reflex cough epoch. Results are analyzed to determine the functional status of the gastric valve.
Use of the involuntary reflex cough test with or without a voluntary cough test is also disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/608,316 filed Dec. 8, 2006; Ser. No. 11/550,125 filed Oct. 17, 2006; Ser. No. 12/643,134 filed Dec. 21, 2009; Ser. No. 12/643,251 filed Dec. 21, 2009; Ser. No. 12/878,257 filed Sep. 9, 2010; Ser. No. 12/878,281 filed Sep. 9, 2010; and Ser. No. 12/878,316 filed Sep. 9, 2010; the disclosures which are all hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. The '257, '281 and '316 applications disclose nasogastric/orogastric (Ng/Og) devices, some with or without esophageal cuffs and/or reflux measurement systems that can be used to assess GERD or determine stress urinary incontinence or other physiological abnormalities using the involuntary reflex cough tests alone or in combination with the voluntary cough test.
These applications also disclose summary results when the involuntary reflex cough test is induced. In one embodiment, a handheld or other processing device processes the test results. Various urinary bladder catheters are also disclosed that may include various indicators. In another example, the Ng/Og device includes an esophageal cuff carried by the device and positioned in the esophagus to reduce or diminish gastric reflux and/or emesis in surgical, neurological and/or trauma patients. These applications also disclose further developments regarding use of the involuntary reflex cough test.
Commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/456,841 and 13/456,882, the disclosures which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, disclose systems and methods that test the gastric valve and urethral sphincter. A contrast agent is administered into the esophagus of a patient followed by inducing an involuntary reflex cough epoch to isolate the gastric valve from the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES). In an example, it is possible to isolate the external urethral sphincter from the internal urethral sphincter. An imaging sensor detects the flow of the contrast agent during the involuntary reflex cough epoch and determines whether stomach reflux occurred indicative of a malfunctioning gastric valve. A determination may be made if urine leakage occurs indicative of Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). In these types of tests an emesis and reflux blocking can be important and improved devices that block emesis and/or reflux and during the involuntary reflex cough test are desirable.